Fishing Vest Card Assembly Notes

Detailed fishing vest has fronts and back joined at shoulders, 

with pockets full of fun fishing gear. 

Tiny punch holes around the edges of the front panels 

are just big enough to accept a darning needle 

and perle cotton or floss for real stitched detail. 

Other details include: bait worms, scissors, 

pockets with flaps, hooks inserted through slit panel, bobber floats. 

(This post is under construction.

Please return after 5-23-15 to view completed tutorial.)

ASSEMBLY:

1. Identify and cut the shapes:

A right vest front with pockets and flaps

B left vest front with pockets, hook panel

C best back panel

D vest front panel "liners"

E right front panel decorations

F left front panel decorations

2. To lace the vest front, cut a 1 yard length of contrast color perle cotton "string"or 6-ply floss and thread onto a small to medium size darning needle. You will be stitching a single "strand".

On the backside, cello-tape the tail end of the "string" near the bottom center edge, close to where the first insertion point for the needle is - at the corner.

3. Insert the needle from backside through the corner hole, and push all the way through, pulling thread through completely.

4. Working along the center front "opening" edge, insert the needle downward through the next hole, and pull string through completely (now and going forward after each stitch). This will create a top-side stitch.

5. Continue to work needle up and down through the sequence of holes all along the edge of the vest (right vest is shown) . . .

. . . until the needle is inserted into the through the final hole, bringing the needle and excess string to the vest backside.

6. Trim excess string leaving approx. 1/2" tail.  Secure in place with a small strip of cello tape. Be sure to keep both cello-tape anchors within the ring of stitching.

7. Repeat the lacing process for the left vest.

8. Prepare the decoration shapes, then refer to the opening or ending images of this post to attach to their respective front panels. NOTE that each vest front includes tiny cuts to help position bottom corners of pockets.

Bobbers: layer white shape over "whole" red base,
attach "hook" shape behind base stem.

Hooks and panel: slide the hook stems under the "bridge" between the slit pairs.

(May need to use a tool such as spatula to help open the slits to slide stems in.)

9. Fold back panel tabs back, and attach laced and assembled front panels over the tabs.

NOTE that the outer corners of front and back should line up; inner corners/edges do not line up -- front is wider.

10. On the inside/underside of each vest front, position and attach liner vest front shape, which is slightly offset smaller than the front shape. This covers the lacing and makes the inside of the card neater.

Here is the finished vest card.